China, which shares a common border with North Korea, is the country’s main political and economic partner, the target of a series of international sanctions.
“In the face of international turbulence, China and [a Coreia do Norte] they have always supported each other firmly and trusted each other,” said Wang Yi, during a meeting in Beijing with North Korean Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pak Myong Ho.
According to a statement from Chinese diplomacy, Wang Yi said that “the traditional friendship” between the two countries “is a valuable asset”. These comments were released following North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) yesterday, the fifth fired by Pyongyang this year.
On Saturday, North Korea’s official news agency said that Pak Myong Ho exchanged “views on strengthening bilateral relations in 2024” with his Chinese counterpart, Sun Weidong, in Beijing.
The two officials discussed in private “issues of common interest and (…) the strengthening of strategic cooperation between the two countries”, indicated KCNA.
In a statement, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that it had detected “a long-range ballistic missile launched from the Pyongyang area into the East Sea [nome dado ao mar do Japão nas duas Coreias] around 8:24 am” (11:24 pm on Sunday in Lisbon).
Hours later, the Korean presidency of Seoul “strongly” condemned the launch, which comes following Pyongyang launched another short-range ballistic missile on Sunday, and marks the 27th weapons test this year alone.
In a statement released following an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, Seoul accused the North of creating “a serious threat to the peace and security of the Korean peninsula and the international community.” The United States and Japan also condemned the launch.
“These launches, like the other ballistic missile launches carried out by Pyongyang this year, violate several United Nations Security Council resolutions,” the US State Department spokesperson told France news agency in a statement. -Presse (AFP), when it was still Sunday in that country.
The launches “pose a threat to the DPRK’s neighbors [República Popular Democrática da Coreia, nome oficial da Coreia do Norte] and compromise regional security,” the statement added.
Japan also reacted negatively, admitting that the last two North Korean missile launches constitute “a threat to peace and stability in the region.”
“We firmly condemn” these launches, noted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, stressing that the shots also violate the sanctions once morest Pyongyang adopted by the United Nations Security Council.
